Seychelles

Armed Forces in National Life

For hundreds of years, Maldives had not experienced
security
problems and therefore had no need for a military
establishment.
However, in 1956 Maldives and Britain agreed to the
establishment
of a Royal Air Force base on Gan, an island on Addu atoll.
As
part of a 1965 accord, the British gained access to Gan
until
1986; however, they pulled out in 1976 because of
budgetary
retrenchment. In 1977 Maldives rejected a request by the
former
Soviet Union to lease the Gan facilities. By the early
1980s,
Maldives maintained only one security unit, the National
Security
Service (NSS). This organization, which numbers fewer than
1,000
personnel, performs army, police, and maritime duties. Its
mission includes preserving internal security and
patrolling the
country's territorial waters for illegal fishermen and
smugglers.
After the 1988 coup attempt, the government expanded the
NSS to
about 1,500 personnel; by 1990, the NSS had grown to
approximately 1,800 personnel.